


Really, Really

by bloombang



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anime, Comedy, F/M, Fanfic, Fluff, Haikyuu - Freeform, Karasuno, Romance, Shiratorizawa, Slice of Life, Ushijima Wakatoshi - Freeform, hq!!, just pure fluff, shiratorizawa academy - Freeform, ushijima - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27141946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloombang/pseuds/bloombang
Summary: Band geeks usually blend into the background. No one remembers them even when looking at yearbooks. (y/n) plays the clarinet for the Shiratorizawa school band and when she meets the school's volleyball captain for the first time, she gets into some trouble.- there's a plot i swear
Relationships: Ushijima Wakatoshi/Reader
Comments: 21
Kudos: 86





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic here and I'm kinda nervous tbh!!!! Pls give lots of love to our boi Ushijima. (cross-posting on Quotev and AO3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's my first time using ao3 and i'm rlly nervous!! pls give lots of love to our boi ushijima. thanks for reading :>

When your club advisor announced that the school band was tasked to cheer on the school’s male volleyball team for their final round in the Inter High, you’d expect different reactions from your band mates. 

“It’s hot and crowded. The seats are so tight,” Yukino-senpai groaned.

“The tuba players have it the worst, though,” Asa added. 

“It’s... that bad?” you regret asking that out loud because all you received were deadpan expressions. 

Yukino broke the momentary silence: “Well, we do get to see our school’s all-star team. They’re pretty cool.”

As a freshman in Shiratorizawa Academy, you were privileged to even be playing on the band in your first year.

Shiratorizawa Academy was a school that had a great reputation, and the volleyball team was the school’s largest pillar of pride. They were among the top few powerhouses in the country after all. It was amazing to even think you landed a spot in this school. 

Upon entering the school, you’ve also often heard the few popular names from the volleyball team. The name you heard the most, though, hands down had to be _Ushijima Wakatoshi._

_“The dude’s huge! I saw him in the gym the other day,” your friend exaggerated as she tip-toed and raised her arm high, trying to visualize his height for her friends._

_“He’s hot,” another added._

_“More like, he’s odd,” the one beside you interrupted. “He doesn’t talk.”_

_”Of course he doesn’t. Why would a big shot talk to you?”_

You were a first year, and all the impressions you had of the third year volleyball captain were based off conversations you’ve heard.

 _Big, buff, tough and rough_ was your conclusion. 

* * *

“Remember, we meet back here before the game starts at 12!” The president of Shiratorizawa’s band announced before the team dispersed.

You walked along the hallways of the gymnasium, looking for the restroom before you had to regroup with your band.

Honestly, you never counted yourself as short in your life. Usually, you’d be placed in the middle or near the back. When it came to height, you’d label yourself as a solid _average._ However, while walking in the gymnasium with all the tall people around you, you started to question that.

_I can’t see what’s ahead at all!_ _How am I supposed to spot the restroom sign?_

After 2 right turns and a little bit of back-tracking, you finally reach your destination. But before you could push the door to the female restroom open, something caught your attention in the corner of your eye. 

Right outside the men’s restroom, an orange-haired kid(?) was getting cornered by a huge giant. The poor kid was getting towered by a guy who was at least 3 heads taller.

_I-I have to do something!_

Inner you wanted to just ignore the scene and continue with life, but the poor boy looked like he was about to pee his pants. While you were busy shouting at yourself internally to think this through, your legs were a step ahead, stepping into the middle of the commotion. 

Sandwiching yourself between the poor orange-head and the buff giant, you shielded the poor boy in a motherly way. 

“S-Sir, I h-hope you are not intimidating this kid with your s-scary broad shoulders or titan-like height,” you tried to sound matter-of-factly but your voice came out with a tremble to it.

And then, there came a long moment of silence before you could comprehend what was actually going on. 

You turned your focus to the male in front of you, with your head tilted upwards to make sure you have a mental snapshot of his features (in case you had to make a police report).

The olive-haired male eyed you amusingly.

You swallowed as you let your eyes trail downward from his features. You noted his broad shoulders were dressed in purple and white.

_Familiar colors... too familiar..._

His jersey was colored in purple and white. But before your brain had enough time to process that information, you continued to trail your eyes until you reached the stranger's chest level. On the right side of his chest, the embroidered letters had you blink a few more times before coming to realization.

...

_”S-Shiratorizawa?”_

* * *

_a short fic for ushijima :D_

_~~thoughts and comments are welcomed~~ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haikyuu!! is a work by Haruichi Furudate. I do not own any of the characters in this story.


	2. enigma

_**enigma** : _

_a person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand._

* * *

“(y/n)-chan! You’re late,” Yukino looked at you worriedly as she saw your blank expression. 

“Y-yea,” you started taking your clarinet out of its case. “Uh... tummy troubles. Sorry.”

You weren’t lying though! It was true. You’d just met Shiratorizawa’s volleyball captain, big shot of the school, Mr. Hot Stuff face-to-face five minutes ago.

Not to mention, you mistook him as a delinquent bully.

As the scene replayed in your mind, you felt a weird churn in your stomach again. 

_Oh, I’ve don’t it now haven’t I?_

* * *

“Miracle boy Wakatoshi!” Tendou stared at his team captain as they were about to start their first set with Aoba Johsai for the Inter High finals. 

The captain was not a person who was good with words and Tendou came to learn that early. He still enjoyed Ushijima’s presence, though. 

“Oikawa-san seems on edge today.”

The redhead and his captain both looked towards the other side of the court, only to find the heartthrob setter looking right back at them with an intense stare. 

_We’ll be the ones who’ll win today._

* * *

“It’s starting, it’s starting...” the saxophone player next to you nodded towards the volleyball court. 

The gymnasium hushed as Shiratorizawa Academy’s anthem rang throughout the interior of the large gymnasium. 

You played the well-practiced notes out of memory while your eyes landed on the volleyball court, traveling from member to member of the volleyball team. 

It was the prefecture final, and the whole gymnasium screamed _intense_. But everyone on the Shiratorizawa team looked calm as ever. 

_As expected of a national-level team..._

Your eyes trailed even further along the team, only to catch a pair of olive eyes looking right back at you. 

The breath you were taking unwillingly got caught in your throat midway. Your breathing hitched and you started to choke.

A few of your band mates turned to you, some even glaring daggers your way as you awkwardly fake a cough and proceed to pick up your clarinet again. 

You try to hide the jumpy feeling in your gut, looking straight ahead, making sure to not wander your eyes around anymore—in case you make eye contact with Mr. Titan down there again. 

* * *

Before their game against Aoba Johsai, Tendou knew his intuition caught onto something. He tried to lay a finger on it, but he couldn’t seem to tell what was bugging the Shiratorizawa ace today. 

Taking another sip from his bottle, he followed Ushijima’s gaze up to the gymnasium stands, wondering what in the word got his captain’s attention.

Not a lot of things amused the olive-haired boy, Tendou knew—not even Tendou’s over-enthusiasm all the time. Ushijima was this stoic, inexpressive being in Tendou’s mental “people and personality book”.

Which was why Tendou found it mildly surprising—not to mention the fact they were about to start a game—their captain was distracted by the crowd? the school chants? the band?

 _Probably the cheerleaders,_ Tendou thought as he chuckled. 

“Wakatoshi-kun,” the redhead started, “looks like you’re in good condition today.”

_Different topic to start the conversation... Sneak 100._

The olive-haired spiker managed an “uhn” in acknowledgment before turning his head back to the stands. 

“What’cha lookin’ at?”

“Nothing,” Ushijima said too quickly, but still with no emotion. He paced back towards the court upon hearing the referee’s whistle. 

Tendou looked to the stands one last time and his eyes fell onto a girl. Her hands clutched her instrument way to tightly as she fidgeted awkwardly in her crammed seat. Her eyes darted around the gymnasium constantly, but never once landed on their captain. 

_Interesting..._

Maybe it was just a mistake, but Tendou had learned to trust his instincts, no matter in or out of game. He enjoyed puzzles, mysteries—and this was a mystery he _really, really_ wanted to solve.

_Very interesting..._

* * *

As the game commenced to an end, (y/n) felt a growing interest to the game of volleyball grow in her.

She’d also grown newfound admiration for volleyball players.

Ushijima, especially, left the greatest impression on her. His aura on the court glowed with intense charisma, his intimidating presence on the court was felt by everyone in the gymnasium. 

She could dismiss all the things she’d heard about the captain before—because now, after meeting him today (on and off the court), she came to a conclusion: Ushijima wasn’t just Mr. Perfect from Shiratorizawa. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi was seemingly intimidating, yet well-respected on the court; seemingly intense and tough, yet admired by many. 

Because now, seeing him huddled up with the rest of his teammates—getting numerous high fives and encouraging slams on his back—she suspects there’s more to the giant than he appears to be. 

She grew curious, wanting to know more behind the admiration people felt for the olive-haired male.

Ushijima Wakatoshi was an _enigma_ and she wanted to find out more.


	3. the red string of fate

_**the red string of fate** :_

_“According to the legend, Chinese gods would tie an invisible string around the ankles of two people that fate would one day bring together.”_

_(Wikipedia)_

* * *

A few weeks later, you were walking in the cafeteria with two other classmates, celebrating your victory from lunch break. 

“Yakisoba bread... At long last I hold thee in my palm of possession,” you jokingly raised your prized lunch, mimicking the Statue of Liberty. 

“Raise it that high and attract attention again, it’s gonna get stolen,” one of your friends said as the other laughed comically. 

“I’ll fight them! I swear if-“ 

“Clarinet girl.”

You were interrupted mid-sentence. Stopping in the hallway of the cafeteria, you and your friends were blocked by two people in front of you. And you couldn’t hold back your gaping, shocked expression. 

_...U-Ushijima? Ushijima Wakatoshi!_

You never told anyone about your awkward encounter with the school’s volleyball captain. Mainly because, _w_ _ell_ , it was embarrassing to even _think_ that you couldn’t recognize the captain from your school. Let’s also not bring up the fact that you called him intimidating, scary and titan-like in a single sentence, right in front of his face. 

“Who’s clarinet g-“

“It’s you right, clarinet girl?” Ushijima interrupted Tendou’s question as he sought answers from the girl in front of him. 

The captain was certain this was the girl he saw at the prefecture finals. He’d seen her around school a few times since the games but never successfully approached her.

Before he could say anything else, though, the girl in front of him spoke up. 

“ _Oops, what’s this I’m holding? Y-Yakisoba bread? Well—uh—guess I have to run to return it because I don’t feel like eating Yakisoba today.”_

Slowly shuffling her steps in a reverse, the girl starts blabbering at a rapid speed, making sure no one could interrupt her. 

“ _Oh, look at the time! I guess I have to dash. I’ll—uh—see you guys back in class!”_

Catching onto your distressed signal, your friends mentally saluted you and ducked past the two volleyball players, hurrying back to class.

Five minutes later, you angrily sip on your strawberry milk, regretting your life choices as you paced back to class.

* * *

“So,” Tendou shoved his hands into his pockets as he continued to pester his captain. 

“Are you going to introduce me to _Clarinet girl_ , or not?”

With Tendou’s ~~annoying~~ personality, Ushijima knew he had to give up the answers soon enough. So he decided to be frank with his red-haired friend.

"I don't know her," Ushijima looked straight ahead as Tendou eyed him curiously. "We met in the gymnasium during the prefecture finals." Ushijima took a pause, as if to find the right words to describe the peculiar encounter. "I think she mistook me as some gangster."

As the captain's story unfolded, Tendou couldn’t hold back his monstrous laughter at the end. He held onto his stomach to catch his breath.

_“Oh my gosh, she's crazy!”_

* * *

_“Oh my gosh, are you crazy?”_

You braced yourself as your friends almost fell over their chairs laughing. Your empty milk carton was tossed into the bin frustratingly as the laughter raged on.

“She definitely is. I can’t believe you couldn’t recognize him!”

You slammed your palm onto your face again. 

That day after school, before you could take five steps away from your locker, you made eye contact with a _very_ familiar-looking redhead. 

Breaking eye contact immediately (and nervously), you were ready to dash, flee, run before he could approach you but, unfortunately, you were far too slow to react. 

“Well, well. If it isn’t _Clarinet girl_!” He grabbed you by your shoulders as he continued, “Anyone who’s Wakatoshi’s friend is also my friend.”

Before you could say anything to deny your unwanted identity given by Ushijima, Tendou interrupted: “I’m Tendou Satori.”

He held his hand out, waiting for you to shake it.

The devious glint in his eyes made you gulp.

* * *

“Why’d you get named _Clarinet girl_ anyway?” Tendou asked.

“I play the clarinet for the school band,” you smiled awkwardly. “I guess he saw me in the cheering stands.”

“I’m (y/n). First year, Class 5,” you tried giving a better, genuine smile this time. “Nice to meet you, Tendou-senpai.”

You had totally forgotten to keep in mind where you were heading until Tendou came to a stop. He had his arm around your shoulder the whole time, so it didn’t cross your mind where he was guiding you. 

But when you finally came to realization, you stood in the school’s gymnasium with Tendou right beside you.

With so many pairs of eyes curiously on you as Tendou’s companion, you suddenly felt dizzy. 

When you were just about to dart out the gymnasium, Tendou swiftly held you back by the strap of your backpack, chuckling deviously.

“Still not fast enough, (y/n)-chan.”

You wanted to cry. 

* * *

With still a bit of time left before practice, you see the Shiratorizawa volleyball team sparsely spaced out in the school's gymnasium—some rolling the volleyball carts in, some in the midst of a warm-up session, some already tossing the balls around.

“So... do you know how to play?” Tendou asked with a Cheshire grin on his face.

“M-Me? Volleyball? No, I don’t.”

“You should.”

“I should?”

“Ushiwaka'll teach you,” he said as he nodded his head towards the ace. "Gotta learn from the best y'know!"

" _WHAT?!"_ You stared at the redhead with panicked eyes. "Nonono... I don't-"

"Are you declining an offer from your _senpai_?" Tendou drew dangerously close to you with a smirk plastered to his face. _How can he pull the senpai card in this situation?!_

"Ah—no—that's not what I meant... What I mean is, I don't want to cause trouble."

There was a long pause of silence after you spoke up. You let your eyes trail to the volleyball captain, seeking any sign of a green light for your departure. Sadly, reality is not like expectations.

Ushijima nodded his head for you to an open space in the gymnasium. "Only the basic receiving skill. We don't have much time before practice starts." His baritone authoritative voice forced your footsteps to head his way.

“Hold your arms in place like this,” the volleyball captain said as he lowered his upper body and stood in a stable squat. “Send the ball away with your upper body strength.”

You had no idea what it meant to put your upper body strength into the ball. _Too abstract, can’t follow,_ you thought to yourself as your brows furrowed. 

Your stance was awkward, your arms were stretched out at a weird angle, and your legs stood too narrowly apart. You tried your best to mimic his stance but received a huff from him. 

_H-He’s annoyed!_ you panicked. 

Actually, Ushijima found slight amusement in your actions. To him—with your tongue stuck out and brows angled with focus—he found it oddly cute. _Cute? No,_ he brushed the thought away. _Amusing,_ he incorrectly corrects himself. 

Ushijima walked up to you. You suddenly felt his warm hand on your wrists, oxygen leaving you as you stared at his calloused fingers, guiding your hands. 

“Place your wrists together,” he said. “Stabilize the momentum.”

“And also...” Noticing how your face was flushed red, he reminded you: “Breathe.” 

Letting go of your arms, the captain walked towards a volleyball cart. With a quick toss, Ushijima sent a ball into the air. You readily positioned yourself for the impact but suddenly remembered how a moment ago, you were in the same stance.

The feeling of Ushijima’s body warmth came back into your mind as you felt your face heat up again. You started to lose focus, but the ball still managed to fall into your arms. However, it didn’t rebound into the air as it should have.

Instead, the ball flew smack-right-under your chin, the impact making you lose your balance and fall backwards to the ground. 

The Shiratorizawa team rushed ahead to save the girl with stars above her head.

" _Clarinet girl!"_


	4. eccentric

_**eccentric** : _

_unconventional and slightly strange habit or behavior._

* * *

The next time (y/n) sees the volleyball captain of Shiratorizawa again, he surprised her by calling her by her name.

“(y/n)-san,” he greeted with his usual stoic expression. His voice void of any emotion.

“Ushijima-senpai,” the girl looked up at the olive-haired captain, still shocked by how he addressed her. “Y… Y-You know my name!” She says before she could stop herself.

Ushijima eyed her with slight amusement. He had finally learned her name. She was no longer _the girl who plays the clarinet_. When a fellow redhead was talking about how he "met a new cute friend", her name stuck to his mind like glue.

The two paced out of the school halls, into the courtyard of the school, heading towards the large gates of Shiratorizawa Academy.

“Volleyball practice?” (y/n) spoke up.

“Cancelled.”

 _That’s rare_ , she thought.

Sensing her curiosity, the boy continues, “Taking a rest after nationals.” The girl hummed in acknowledgment. “It’s rare, but it’s good for me to take a rest.”

It was a chilly afternoon. Winter was creeping up on everyone. Lately, everyone was dressed warmer, wrapped in layers of sweaters and scarves to hide from the merciless cold.

While walking alongside the volleyball giant, (y/n) noticed how Ushijima’s long legs provided him with huge strides. She had also noted before how he usually traveled at a rushed pace. Today, however, she noticed his steps a bit more relaxed, not at their usual quick tempo.

She also noticed how they’ve both already traveled a few blocks far from school, and that he was still tagging along with her, which was weird.

“Where are you heading to this afternoon, Ushijima-san?”

“I plan to visit the local library today.”

The girl’s eyes widened by a bit.

“…Me too. I’m heading there too.”

* * *

“Thanks for dropping by to help, (y/n).”

(y/n) nodded as she smiled up at her coworker. His nametag was turning into a pale yellow color, hinting his lengthy experience as a librarian at the Miyagi prefecture public library.

“It’s fine. I guess winter’s bringing a lot of trouble this year.”

The girl was called in this afternoon since the head librarian, a lady in her fifties named Eri, fell sick. (y/n) didn’t mind at all, since she always liked it here. She liked how it was quiet with the occasional fresh sound of turning pages, and how it always smelled like opening a new book in here.

Today though, she had a hard time halting herself from being distracted by a certain olive head.

As she placed the last book on her tray into the shelves, her eyes trailed to the corner behind the _fiction_ row, to the volleyball captain. His eyebrows were furrowed and his gaze was focused on the black and white pages of his book. (y/n) noticed how his eyes would soften a tad bit sometimes, and then go back to a furrow, sometimes even looking at the book so intensely, she thought he was ready to fling the book into the corner.

“You like _Kobo Abe_ , Ushijima-san?”

Ushijima looked up to see (y/n) staring intently at the book in his hands.

“I prefer _Franz Kafka_ ,” he paused. “But _Kobo Abe_ puts his words together thoughtfully.”

The girl hummed in response, hiding her amazement.

Ushijima was nothing like the way people talked about him. Everyone called him intense or intimidating, but here he was enjoying modern literature on a chilly afternoon in the local library.

She found that charming, how he had so many hidden sides to him like a mysterious moon.

She also found it enchanting, how he enjoyed _Kobo Abe_ ’s works, just like her.

* * *

The clocked ticked to 7pm when (y/n) was getting ready to leave.

Her eyes trailed to the familiar boy in his Shiratorizawa uniform again. Surprised, she found him resting his head on his arm as he dozed off in the corner of the library. The girl found it hard to stop her steps from approaching the volleyball captain. Her heart unwillingly sped up as she came to see his eyes closed. His expression was softened, which was a very rare scene, as he napped. His eyebrows suddenly furrowed as he slept, as if he was trapped in an annoying thought, which caused (y/n) to chuckle softly.

The girl noticed his bag placed on the seat beside him, with his volleyball jacket casually stuffed into it. She peeked at the captain again and wondered if he felt cold this chilly evening. Without thinking of it much, she placed the jacket over his shoulders, carefully tying a knot at the end of the sleeves. With a smile, she admired her handy work and turned to leave.

About half an hour later, Ushijima was stirred from his sleep when he felt someone nudge his shoulder. He looked up in mild annoyance to see a few of the Shiratorizawa team members.

The corners of Tendou’s mouth quirked up into a smile as he tried to quiet his chuckle. “Wakatoshi-kun, you’re a manly man with surprising twists,” his comment took the captain by surprise as he wondered what in the world was Tendou on about. “You look cute!”

Semi spoke up next with a concerned expression, ignoring Tendou’s comments. “Y’know, Coach gave you an off day to rest because of your injury from the game. Go home, for goodness sake!”

“Got it.” Ushijima stood from his chair as he grabbed onto the strap of his bag. He came to notice his volleyball jacket was missing, instead of being in his bag like it used to be. Then, he noticed. Tied into a knot at the end of the sleeves, the purple and white jacket was draped over his shoulders. _It looks weird_ , he thought.

His mind flashed back to remember (y/n) in a dark blue pinafore, like how the other librarians were dressed all the time.

_Did she…?_

It was a cold winter evening, but somehow, having his jacket draped over his shoulders felt extra warm today. Ushijima stared at the tidy knot for another moment, imagining how the girl’s tiny hands would have felt like as she did it.

Snapping out of it after a moment, the captain then nodded towards the doors of the library, “let’s go.”

On their way home, Tsutomu whispered to Tendou, “Is that a new trend? I guess I’ll have to do that from now onwards too.” Tendou had to halt in his tracks for a full moment to stop his laughter.


	5. solace

_**solace** : _

_comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness._

* * *

“First years! You’re going to get kicked out of the band if you don’t do this properly.”

The school band was currently practicing their marching routine on this hot afternoon. (y/n) wanted to wipe the sweat dripping off her forehead, but dared not to move upon hearing the band president’s booming voice.

They’ve gone through the whole routine about seven times, it was a scorching hot afternoon, her throat felt like a dry desert, she wanted to sit down. So much for the long list of to-dos she could not do...

Suddenly, she heard a thud beside her; and although she was told not to move an inch from her stance, she still did. And she was glad she did, because she turned her head to see a fellow bandmate fainted onto the ground.

It was chaotic in the next moment.

(y/n) hurriedly pulled Asa up, supporting Asa’s body weight by throwing Asa’s arm over her shoulders. 

Five minutes later, here she was, leaning on one of the pale walls in the school infirmary. She silently enjoyed the momentary privilege of _not_ being under the merciless afternoon sun.

But her short time under the turning fan was interrupted. Suddenly, the doorknob to the infirmary turns open. (y/n) was surprised to see a familiar face stepping in.

“Hi, Ushijima-senpai,” she greeted. He nodded in acknowledgment.

“What brings you here?” He asks.

“Asa fainted during outdoor practice. I just brought her here,” the girl gestured toward the direction of the infirmary bed, which was behind the green adjustable curtain, “What about you?”

The olive-head breaks eye contact at this point, as if wanting to avoid the topic.

“I...If you prefer not to talk about it, that’s fine.”

“Shoulder injury.” His voice sounded out a bit unwillingly, yet loud enough the drown out the sound of the curtains being pulled open.

The girl looked up at the volleyball captain, seeing his expression of subtle frustration.

 _I want to be back on the court. I can’t waste more time,_ he thought.

“Ushijima-san, I—”

“Your friend is fine,” the school doctor suddenly emerges, making your eyes leave the tall captain. “Heat Syncope. Make sure you eat your meals properly before practice, especially under the sun.” His eyes then left his notepad, and he noticed Ushijima’s presence.

“Oh. Ushijima-kun! It’s good you’re here. Let’s get another look at that shoulder shall we.”

Asa paced towards her friend, grabbing her by the arm and leading her out of the infirmary.

(y/n) turned her head one last time, catching Ushijima also looking at her. She sends him a glance of concern before turning the corner, losing sight of the volleyball captain.

* * *

“Tendou-san!” (y/n) coincidentally sees a familiar redhead not too far ahead as she was heading to the Shiratorizawa dorms.

“It’s not usual for you to run up to me, (y/n)-chan,” he smiles. “You usually run away! Tell me, are you developing a crush on me?”

The girl gave a huff as she rolled her eyes. Beside the Guess Monster, Goshiki waves.

“Tell me, Tendou.” Tendou turns to look at her with a curious glance, waiting for her to continue. “Ushijima’s hurt?”

His devious smirk gradually emerges. “Oh! What’s this? C-O-N-C-E-R-N for our C-A-P-T—”

“You’re the reliable one, Goshiki-kun,” the girl says as she turns to walk beside her fellow first-year, leaving Tendou dumbfounded.

Goshiki’s eyes sparkled. _Reliable one,_ his mind continuously repeats the phrase.

“He hurt his shoulder. Rotator cuff muscle, specifically,” he says, “hasn’t been able to attend practice since last week.”

 _It’s that serious?_ The girl thought.

Maybe Tendou was right, she was concerned. But it was only because he was the volleyball captain of the school, and the team couldn’t have a missing captain, right? _Right?_ It was only because of that, _right?_

* * *

Ushijima gently rubs his shoulder again, doing his daily routine of relaxing his muscles, as told by the school doctor.

Right now, most of his classmates had left the classroom, either off the club activities or the school dorms. He was still in his seat, though, relieving his tense muscles as he stares at the sheet in front of him:

_Shiratorizawa Sports Day Mixed Gender Two-Legged Race (Sports Clubs)._

Shiratorizawa had many powerhouse sports teams, and it was a tradition for team captains from each team to participate in the sports festival’s races, bringing a companion of their choice.

 _It’s troublesome,_ Ushijima had thought on many occasions.

He lifts his pencil, about to scribble the women’s volleyball team captain next to his but halts when the classroom door slides open.

“Ushijima-san!” (y/n) peeks into the classroom, spotting the olive head she was looking for.

The captain’s eyes glazed with slight surprise. It wasn’t every day to see a first-year barging into his classroom like this.

Her footsteps were light and quick-paced as she approached the volleyball captain—a bit nervous, a bit rushed. She awkwardly placed a plastic bag on his table, her eyes avoiding his.

“I…I heard you’re shoulder has been aching. A…And these are for you,” the girl slightly pushes the bag towards the captain.

Ushijima eyes the bag filled with heat patches for tense muscles and pain relief.

 _How weird,_ he thought.

He was touched and grateful, yes, but could heat patches really make someone _this_ happy?

Before he could look up and thank her, he misses his chance as he sees her back strutting out of the classroom.

He slightly rummages through the bag, still amused at what just happened. A yellow sticky note on one of the packages catches his attention. He plucks it off, seeing her neat handwriting on it.

**_Shiratorizawa’s ace! We need you,_ **

**_so rest well and come back : >_ **

**_\- (y/n)_ **

Ushijima stares at the name for a moment longer than he intended to, noting to himself how the individual characters to her name seemingly fit her so well.

In that warm spring afternoon, he sits in his classroom alone. He picks up his pencil again, focusing on the form in front of him and scribbles a name beside his own.

**_Shiratorizawa Sports Day Mixed Gender Two-Legged Race (Sports Clubs)_ **

**_..._ **

_**Team 3** : Ushijima Wakatoshi & (y/n)_

* * *


	6. cherish

_**cherish** : _

_to protect and care for; to hold (something) dear._

* * *

A quote you’ve read in the past—one you thought was ridiculous—suddenly rings loudly in your brain.

_“If no one comes from the future to stop you, how bad of a future could it be?”_

Oh, if only future-you could appear right now and tell you what lies ahead is a dark path filled with turmoil…

_Please… Any moment now…_

A chilled can of Pocari Sweat pressed onto your right cheek, breaking your train of thought. You turn to see Ushijima.

He drops the drink and you catch it with your hands in time, conveniently avoiding eye contact with the volleyball captain. Tendou doesn’t let your red cheeks slip by his observation as he sneakily sends you a heart gesture.

Before you could unleash your wrath at him, your heart speeds up again, because the volleyball captain takes a seat right beside you, on the pavement near the school field.

Shiratorizawa Academy was vibrant with energy and spirit today. It was, after all, the day of the Sports Festival. Trumpets blared and whistles rang, but nothing reverberated as loud as your nervous, beating heart.

You didn’t believe it when Tendou announced it. Well, technically, anything the redhead says is hard to believe.

_“Chosen one… You have been selected… To join our captain in the two-legged race!”_

You only remember hyperventilating after that.

You feel something cold on your cheek again. Ushijima presses his own can of the sports drink onto you this time.

“I’m nervous,” you admit.

You take a deep breath before continuing: “What if I hold you back? I’ll be dead weight. Frankly speaking, our heights aren’t compatible and you’re so tall-not-that-it’s-your-fault-what-if-I-mess-up-I’ll-mess-up-and-“

Your muttering catches the olive-head by surprise and he tried to—he really did—but he couldn’t hold back his low chuckle.

He presses his can into your cheek again, secretly enjoying the picture of your cheeks squished.

“You’ll be fine,” he says.

_“I’m by your side, so we’ll be fine.”_

* * *

It’s ticklish. It’s ticklish but at the same time so embarrassing to admit that this was so heart-fluttering. Your heart really needed a break after today.

You held back a breath as Ushijima tied the red knot securely around both of your ankles.

Both of you stand up at the same time, awkwardly slamming into each other, still unbalanced. Stumbling clumsily and in the spur of the moment, you unknowingly held onto Ushijima’s arm.

“Let’s go.” He says it calmly, and you are reminded again of his charisma as Shiratorizawa’s volleyball captain.

 _I’ll be fine._ You remind yourself. _I’ll be fine because he’s by my side._

* * *

Ushijima Wakatoshi was an athlete, so the burning passion of winning came naturally to him.

Today, however, before the starting-shot even sounded, he felt like he was already a winner.

Today, however, even though he wasn’t the one to cross the finish line first, he felt like he was already a winner.

It was a new feeling, a weird sensation for him.

A little bit after the race, two Pocari Sweat cans were set outside the school’s infirmary.

In the familiar pale walls of the school’s infirmary, Ushijima dabbed your knee gently with alcohol, as you finished putting a plaster on his palm.

It was not a cool fall, but Ushijima could live with it.

10 feet away from the finish line, you somehow managed to tangle your own feet and descended upon your fall towards the ground, successfully bringing the giant down with you. Your knee came in contact first. Ushijima managed to pillow the fall but ended up scrapping his palm.

Your gaze falls onto his bandaged palm again, and a pang of guilt hit you like a sudden storm.

“I’m sor—”

“Thank you,” Ushijima says, cutting you off mid-sentence. “Thank you for today. I haven’t had so much fun since a long time ago.”

And then it all comes in like waves crashing wildly onto the beach. His warm olive eyes soften, your eyes sting with tears.

You catch a hint of a smile on his handsome face, and your heart scrunches up again.

It takes a moment to register how you fall forward into him. An embrace, expressing all your feelings at once—gratefulness and happiness.

 _I’m glad future-me didn’t appear,_ you thought about the quote again.

Today, Ushijima Wakatoshi felt like he was a winner. What he won, however, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he was going to treasure it.

* * *

_A/N:_

_ushijima boi is confused_

_but a good kind of confused_


	7. tactics

_**tactics** : _

_actions or strategies carefully planned to achieve a specific end._

* * *

“You’re serious?”

You hide your face in your palms, hoping to avoid this conversation while your friend, Asa, continues to stare at you in disbelief.

“ _You’re telling me, out of all the people you can fall for, you pick the one almost everyone has a crush on?”_

Your eyes squeezed shut at how bluntly your friend had put it. You then looked at her disapprovingly. _Was she here to help or not?_

Since the Sports Festival, something in your brain went “bzzt,” and then you realized it—the possibility of you falling for everyone’s favorite volleyball captain. It put you in an uneasy spot, which now came about to this pop-up consultation table with Asa.

Asa was pointing out how you’ve been acting weird every time you hear or see volleyballs, every time you see someone gulping down Pocari Sweat or every other occasion that reminded you of a certain olive-head.

The silence between the two of you hangs. Asa’s question still ringing loudly in your head.

You let out a sigh, finally able to answer:

“…I know, right?”

Thus, you’ve come to a new strategy after that conversation: to avoid Ushijima. At least for now, to let your feelings sort themselves out _(or to let them just drown away,_ you thought _)._

Because deep down you knew—from all the times Tendou had to slip letters into Ushijima’s textbooks, from all the times Semi stood guard to shoo off his admirers—you were certain, whatever feelings you had towards the giant probably won’t be returned.

* * *

It’s a week later when Ushijima comes to realize the situation. He doesn’t know what is irking him, or why it comes to mind, but he doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like this feeling.

And when he sees your eyes darting away so fast _again_ during lunch, his hypothesis is concluded: he _really_ didn’t like this feeling.

…

_“You’re serious?”_

Ushijima, as usual, doesn’t react.

“I can’t believe it… the day Ushiwaka comes to me with a dilemma related to a girl…” Tendou’s voice gradually lowered into silence as he caught his captain giving him _the stare_.

He coughs and continues: “Well, it is a new century…”

_“…And in this century, girls like to play hard to get.”_

The captain’s brows furrowed. _Hard to get..?_

* * *

A week since you began your ultimate decision to hide from Ushijima, weird things keep happening. Not weird in a scary way but weird in a _weird_ way.

One day as you happily grab your carton of strawberry milk out of the vending machine, Ushijima suddenly appears beside you. Your heart almost jumps out your throat in surprise. But then you decide to turn away—as if it didn’t happen—you turn away and walk back to class.

Weirdly enough, Ushijima tags along and it doesn’t take him much effort to catch up with your pace. He trails with you in silence and makes a U-turn once you arrive safely back in class. It was all-in-all a weird experience.

Another day after school you find something in your locker. A small volleyball keychain hooked to it. You were pretty sure your suspicions of the culprit were true, and you couldn’t help but let that smile appear on your face.

You carefully attached it to the zip of your bag and Goshiki notices it the next day.

“I’m glad you like the gift,” he says as he places his textbook on the table.

Question marks appear above your head and you stare at the boy. _What gift..?_

“The volleyball keychain.”

You slam your head onto the desk. How stupid of you to assume that it was from someone else.

* * *

Maybe it was wrong listening to Tendou. Maybe it was altogether wrong to even tell him about it.

Zipping his bag shut, Ushijima was hoping to drown out all these thoughts just like how a zip closes, but he is unsuccessful.

He’s come to gradually realize that something was really wrong—It’s been two weeks. You’re still hiding in your own shell, and he’s still at zero percent progress.

 _Maybe even negative percent,_ he thinks.

Thinking back at what the Guess Monster had said a few days earlier:

_“Listen, Miracle Boy. Girls like long walks along the beach; girls like comforting company; girls like their own space too.”_

And so he did all that. A walk back to class, with his company, without him speaking up to make sure she enjoyed her own space.

_“Girls like surprises, but we can’t be too obvious about it either. It’s your job to be as subtle as ever so it’s like… a hint instead of… an answer.”_

He thought it was pretty confident in that keychain he prepared was a _hint_.

But was that subtle enough? _Probably not?_ And so, he calls his junior Goshiki into the picture.

Tendou’s voice appears in Ushijima’s brain once again: “ _Trust me, Ushiwaka. I’m not called Guess Monster for nothing._ ”

There’s this weird gut feeling he feels. Ushijima’s instincts keep pointing him towards a red sign that says “something’s not right.” Something’s not right but _what’s_ not right? How’s he going to fix that “not right”?

He steps out of the school corridors late afternoon, coincidentally finding you walking ahead of him not too far away.

_Something’s not right. I’m going to fix it._

Before he even realizes what he’s doing, Ushijima paces forward; before his conscious tells him to avoid unneeded trouble, Ushijima reaches his hand out.

It’s odd for him to be so impulsive, but weird things have been happening so much anyway.

He catches your expression, shifting to surprise and shock in mere milliseconds. He notices how you turn away so quickly and how your ears turn slightly red. He reads your body language—you’re in a hurry, perhaps to escape him again.

Ushijima decides to break Tendou’s rules this time. He's going to be selfish this time, _only this time_.

“Don’t run away.”

He finds it hard to continue without averting his eyes from yours.

“D-Don’t run away anymore.”


	8. misconstrue

_**misconstrue** : _

_interpret (a person's words or actions) wrongly._

* * *

A weird atmosphere surrounded Shiratorizawa Academy today. Somehow, the air was a bit more tense, and—weirdly—the girls around school seemed a bit more chirpier. (y/n) guessed it was somehow related to the poster that was all around school:

_“Practice Match! Men’s Volleyball Team against Aoba Johsai High School”_

Sipping on her carton of milk, Asa turned to you: “I’m sure you’re not missing out on today’s action.”

“What action?”

Asa deadpanned, but continued: “(y/n), it’s time to realize your youth! The Seijoh players are coming. Do you know what that means?”

Without allowing you to even respond, Asa comically spreads her arms out, “It means… This is the perfect chance for you to realize that there are plenty of _other_ young, youthful, charming, and enchanting men out there for you to meet.” She twirls back to face (y/n), “so you can finally get over Ushiwaka.”

“U-uhm… about that—” 

“O Oikawa, Oikawa, wherefore art thou?” As Asa’s pupils turned heart-shaped, (y/n) thought it would be fruitless trying to convince her dear friend to snap out of it. Perhaps your story of reconciling with Ushijima could be saved for another time...

The thought of seeing Ushijima again made her cheeks heat up a bit. But, just to make sure she wasn’t giving away any subtle hints of her undissolving feelings for the Shiratorizawa captain, (y/n) asked: “When’s the game starting?”

After classes ended for the day, (y/n) scurried over to the school gymnasium, peeking through the cracks to decide whether if she should pull the doors open.

But when she suddenly felt the ground quaking, heard girls shrieking, and saw a mess of a crowd approaching, she regretted all of it. She regretted leaving her classroom early just for this; she regretted coming to the gym without Asa; she regretted not buying that Pocari Sweat that she wanted to hand to someone—

Before she could even side step the approaching sea of people, (y/n) was sandwiched along the school of packed tunas. Escape was futile. She couldn’t force her way out, nor could she let the crowd pass through her. Her feet picked up, her pace following the crowd’s, to ensure she wouldn’t be trampled over by them.

Eyeing at the people around her, hearing the deafening shrieks, and feeling the peaking excitement of the girls made (y/n) think to herself: _Well, at least they’re heading in the same way as I am._

* * *

The Shiratorizawa male volleyball team assembled at Gymnasium A, proceeding with their warm-ups right away.

Tendou stepped towards his captain. With his usual smug and scheming expression, he commented on his feelings today (not that anyone asked) as he crossed his arms behind his head: “Aw man… Seijoh again, huh.” He side-eyed Ushijima, noting that his captain was—as usual—not responding but only acknowledging. 

Tendou watched as his captain’s line of sight switched from the court to the corridor of the stands above. The redhead silently chuckled to himself. Ushijima was becoming more and more predictable.

“Tendou,” Ushijima broke his train of thought. “Do you think…”

Not allowing his captain to break off into silence again, Tendou rushed to piece the puzzle pieces together: “Do I think what? Do I think (y/n) will be interested in the game? Do I think she knows there’s a game? Do I think she will be here? Hmm? What do I think, exactly?”

His captain shot him the usual emotionless stare. Tendou thought he might have hit him too hard. Perhaps he did go _a tiny bit_ overboard.

3 seconds later, Tendou Satori experienced the impossible. He never imagined to witness it—throwing the redhead into shock, surprise, and amusement all at once:

Ushijima _nodded_.

But before Tendou could ~~over~~ react to his captain’s subtle response, the gym reverberated with high-pitched shrieks and cheers.

“Oikawa-san!”

“Kyaa—”

“Look here! Up here!”

Tendou swore the gymnasium was experiencing a mild earthquake. _Aren’t they from our own school?,_ he thought _._ But then the redhead caught sight of a far too familiar face among the crowd, seemingly at a loss of what was happening around her. The middle blocker snaps his head towards his captain, checking if Ushijima was watching the same scene.

And indeed, Ushijima had his eyes on the figure amidst the chaos of the roaring crowd. Before long, the girl locked eyes with him as well.

She seemed to be saying something, but her voice was masked by many other ones. He squinted and tried to guess at what exactly the girl was trying to mouth.

_O…_

_i…_

_kawa?_

_Senpai???_

* * *

“Ushiwaka-senpai!” (y/n) called among the crowd, not sure if the olive-haired captain could hear. 

(y/n) huffed at the crowd around her. _These people… Are they seriously supporting another team on their own school grounds?_ As much as she had heard of this legendary setter, was he really that big of an icon?

The girl turned her attention back to the court, catching Ushijima’s eyes still on her. She struggled to pull her hand up and was about to wave at the captain, but he turned away abruptly. Her heart dropped slightly, but she also knew that this was a large gymnasium and that Ushijima was heading into a game. She knew all the factors at play. But why did Ushijima’s gaze look a little harsher than usual?

“Tendou,” Ushijima called out to the middle blocker. “We’re winning this game.”

And with that, Ushijima joined warm-ups. He picked up his pace to match the ball just setted by Semi, his posture perfectly angled for a spike. The ball hits the floor in an earth-shattering smash, successfully stunning the gymnasium into silence.

Tendou stared at his captain wide-eyed, a bit dumbfounded at his words, before his own expression morphed into a devilish grin.

“As always, captain,” Tendou said, “as always.” He chose not to comment on why Ushijima looked surprisingly eager today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's scream about softie ushijima in the comments lndsakdalk


	9. déjà vu

_**déjà vu** : _

_a feeling of having already experienced the present situation._

* * *

Upon their third timeout, the Aoba Johsai team huddled together, awaiting their team captain to give pointers on how to flip the tables of this landslide lost.

Oikawa always disliked it here—in Shiratorizawa. The gyms were annoyingly ostentatious; everyone here carried (in Oikawa’s view) a snobbish aura; the walls were freakishly clean even though they were white; the students here were good at everything, even sorting their recycling bins. Everything here seemed to irk him, no matter good or bad. Today, it was overtly so; because—somehow—Ushijima Wakatoshi was in his top form, more so than usual, switching gears and going all-out right away.

“Well, team, it’s unfortunate but we’ll have to go head-to-head, brute-force-against-brute-force for this one.” Oikawa shrugged.

Iwaizumi’s nostrils flared with rage, “Shittykawa! Does that mean you haven’t been putting your all into the game this whole time?” He pulled his fist back, about to have a go at Shittykawa’s perfect face. Oikawa hid behind Maki just in time.

* * *

Feeling a harsh grab on your arm, your body is forced its way out of the dense crowd, and you come face-to-face with your real life Guardian Deity, Asa. With teary eyes, you thanked her profusely for retrieving you from dangerous borders, risking her own life for yours as she dove into the inferno of Oikawa fans to rescue you.

But Asa honestly couldn’t care less as she immediately shook you with both of her hands on your shoulders, jumped excitedly, and then pointed toward the volleyball court—specifically at the teal-colored team, and even more specifically at their team captain and setter: Player #1 Oikawa Tooru.

You deadpanned. “Asa, you do realize we are from Shiratorizawa, yes?”

Not receiving a response, you followed her gaze and turned to look as well, at the setter with fluffy brown hair and his renowned Prince-Charming-like smile. And what perfect timing, because Oikawa looked up in your direction, and sent a wink up this way.

You inwardly sigh as you outstretched your arms, preparing to let Asa fall into you as she faints from hyperventilation.

* * *

“Hmm... Seijoh’s losing their edge,” Coach Washijo commented as the practice game came to an end. As usual, his words had no mercy. “Nevertheless, a good job today. Watch out for service aces, especially Goshiki—more receiving drills.”

The Shiratorizawa team eventually scattered. Ushijima headed toward the water fountains, wanting to get his bottle refilled. But, near the fountains, he sees the rival team captain there too.

Oikawa shifted his attention from the cooling water hitting his face to the approaching olive-haired captain, not missing a chance to throw him a glare.

Silence surrounded the two captains for a long moment before Oikawa decided to speak up.

“Before you get on your high horse again and assume that Aoba Johsai is weak… You’re wrong.”

Ushijima turned the tap off and postured himself to face Oikawa. His expression stoic, cold, unreadable, thus making Oikawa furrow his eyebrows even more.

“You should have come to Shiratorizawa.”

Oikawa huffed in aggravation, unable to comprehend Shiratorizawa's captain. Every time Ushijima Wakatoshi said something to him, he had little to no rationality to listen. Oikawa eventually lost his composure and was about to go on a raging fit—perhaps this was his chance. There was no one here. Perhaps this was finally his chance to tell off this Shiratorizawa-bastard that he absolutely did not want to, nor even considered to, come to Shira—

“D-Don’t get angry…” a voice broke out between the two captains. “D-Don’t misunderstand Ushijima-san.”

Oikawa eyed the girl in front of him in slight amusement.

* * *

As the game commenced to an end, (y/n) watched as the crowd dispersed, heaving a sigh and heading down towards the volleyball court as well. She caught sight of Semi, gave the third-year a thumbs up, and asked if he knew where their captain was.

“Wakatoshi?" Semi responded, "he went off refill his bottle.”

And so the girl trekked to the back of the gymnasium, mentally preparing a congratulatory speech for Ushijima, but suddenly, she came to a stop in her tracks. The scene before her was like a rubber band pulled too far apart, the tension about to rip it in half at any moment: Seijoh’s captain and Ushijima, in an oddly silent yet alarming stare-off.

Panicking, and before anything worse could happen, her feet picked up on their own. Why was she always like this? She herself did not know. Before the gears in her brain had a chance to turn, she had sandwiched herself in between the two tall captains, her iron deficiency kicking in after moving at ninja-speed.

Facing Seijoh’s charming captain, her legs trembled slightly in fear, a feeling of déjà vu hitting her like a lightning bolt.

_This situation... feels somewhat familiar..._

* * *

a/n:

would it rlly be an ushiwaka fic without this line?

probably not


	10. oenomel

**_oenomel:_ **

_something combining strength with sweetness._

* * *

The crimson sky colors the evening in a warm hue, and the clouds hang low and like puffs of cotton candy in the air. The evening breeze is cooling; the cicadas chirping as the day dies down into serenity.

Dusk has always been Ushijima’s favorite time of the day. With the warm sun descending and the sky a palette of mixed tones of red and orange, dusk was always breathtaking in Sendai city. Just like every evening after practice, the captain sits on the bench behind the gymnasium, his daily routine of winding down. But today was a bit different—today he had a companion.

(y/n) kicked at nothing in particular, perhaps the air, as she focused her attention on the shadows of the grass. Silence had embraced the two for a long while now, but (y/n) didn’t feel any need to disrupt the silence. Being like this felt calm and serene. She’d guessed that Ushijima was the type to prefer silent companionship over her long list of unasked questions anyway.

“Did you watch the game?” Ushijima asked, even though he knew the answer.

(y/n) looked at the olive-haired captain seated right beside her, a bit puzzled. “I did, and I—”

“Tendou saw you,” Ushijima interrupted in his baritone voice. “Tendou said he saw you.”

The girl’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, confused at what the captain was trying to say.

“Were you there to watch Aoba Johsai?” Ushijima’s grasp on his bottle tightened slightly as he shifted to sit straight up, still looking at the girl. An odd feeling clenched his heart, like thorns winding around it. These questions that he was dying to ask were finally set out in the open.

The girl chuckled softly. “No, I wasn’t,” she said, tilting her head and resting it on her palm while looking up at the captain.

“Do you dislike Oikawa?” she suddenly asked, catching Ushijima off guard.

“No,” the captain replied without thought. “I respect him a lot.”

“Hmm… he doesn’t seem to be the type to get riled up easily,” (y/n) furrowed her eyebrows again. “But he did seem a bit angry earlier—nostrils flaring and everything.” She recounted the scene from earlier, following with a soft chuckle. It started as a scary moment, but looking back at it now made it funny. She couldn’t help but laugh at it a bit.

Ushijima felt a sour feeling in his gut. Perhaps he should tell you not to bring up or talk about other men so nonchalantly—but far more importantly, for now, he was relieved. He was grateful for how you stood up for him, and how you were trying to understand him.

* * *

_Earlier…_

“D-Don’t misunderstand Ushijima-san.”

Ushijima stares at the crown of (y/n)’s head as the girl stood in front of him—her back to him, as she bravely faced Aoba Johsai’s captain. Somehow, she had managed to appear out of no where and was now stuck between him and Aoba Johsai’s captain. _How cute_ , he thought. Having someone to come defend him… This was a new experience for him.

“ _Ha_ …?!” Oikawa looked at the girl before him in disbelief.

Was… Was she standing on Ushijima’s side instead of his? Was she supporting Ushijima instead of him? Is there some kind of mistake? Is this those prank camera segments he sees on TV?

“I..I-I’m sure Ushijima doesn’t mean bad!”

Oikawa's eyes focused on the girl’s trembling hand and then he shifted his attention back to his rival. “Hiding behind a fair lady, Ushijima?”

As usual, Ushijima was not one who would respond. Oikawa scoffed at the situation, but his face brightened when he turned his attention back to you. “Now, now... Miss, don’t be afraid. Were you brought here unwillingly? Is that why? Or are you choosing the wrong side? Don’t worry. I, Oikawa Tooru, never denies a young lady’s heart! So you can come to me any—”

Ushijima clenched his teeth a tiny bit before taking a step forward as he forced you behind him. He scowled at Oikawa, making the Seijoh captain stop mid-sentence. Perhaps it was not the best moment, but (y/n)’s heart did flutter a bit by the captain’s small but protective gesture.

The Seijoh captain lifted an eyebrow, still a bit taken aback by the scene before him. _Whatever. Shiratorizawa’s filled with weirdos anyway._ He prided himself for being rational, Oikawa-style rational. And so, he left the scene after announcing his departure and soon-to-be-sought revenge.

Ushijima turned to face (y/n). And all that happened next felt like snapshots of a distant memory: she looked up at him, he grabbed her by the wrist, her face heats up with cheeks the color of the crimson sky.

* * *

“Ushijima-san,” (y/n) continued. “Do you think Oikawa would fit as a team member?”

Ushijima brought his gaze to the sky as he thought about his words before responding: “Oikawa is strong. He would be a great addition to the team.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because Shiratorizawa can grow stronger. With more strength, we’ll be able to go further.”

“Hmm… I don’t really agree with that…,” her voice trailed off. Ushijima turned to lock gazes with her again, making the girl shift her eyes nervously to the sky, just like how he did earlier. “I think the Shiratorizawa team is working at a great pace. The gears are coming together gradually, turning, and forming a system of its own.”

Ushijima listened tentatively, waiting for the girl to finish. 

Spending the evening in school like this, Ushijima admitted that it was something refreshing, like dipping one’s feet into a pond on a hot summer day. He watched as her face scrunched up in thought, perhaps thinking of a way to put her thoughts into words.

“W-What I’m trying to say is,” her gaze falls onto the olive-haired captain, “strength is a powerful weapon. But, if it were me, I think Shiratorizawa is already equipped with the best weapon—a team that trusts and plays passionately knowing that you have each other.”

(y/n) shifted from her seat to settle in a squat before Ushijima. Crouched down like this, she tilts her head up to look at the captain. She smiled seeing the captain still deep in thought.

Ushijima was puzzled, trying to decipher the meaning behind her words. How was strength subordinate to team balance? How was—

His train of thought was disrupted as he suddenly felt warmth on the back of his hands. He looks up at you. His ears suddenly feel hot.

You take his hands with yours and bring them together. It’s odd; where is this courage come from? 

“Ushijima-san, Shiratorizawa is strong.” You take a deep breath before continuing: “Shiratorizawa is strong because the team has a captain who’s strong, a captain who they can trust and rely on.”

The girl’s face lit up in a warm smile as she tried to convey her true thoughts, and Ushijima suddenly heard his heartbeat ringing in his ears.

Ushijima Wakatoshi was never a man with a lot of words, but his thoughts were well-organized, always clear, and calm like the waters on a non-windy day. But what he was feeling right now, was something a million words could never describe.

His favorite time of the day was dusk, where the day winds down and the sky turns crimson. His favorite time of the day was dusk, when he holds your hand and watches as your cheeks turn the color of the sky; when his heartbeat picks up and he comes to realize that he has you by his side.

* * *


	11. hygge

_**hygge** : _

_the quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being._

* * *

“Who’re you texting, Tendou?” 

It was an evening after volleyball practice. The Shiratorizawa boys team huddled together in their stuffy locker room, resting and changing out of their sportswear.

Reon waited patiently for a reply, but the only reply he received was silence. More eyes turned to focus on a certain redhead, and more ears widened slightly to eavesdrop on some tea. Who was Tendou actually texting with?

The unusual silence in the usually rowdy locker room even caused Ushijima to gaze toward their middle blocker. 

“Don’t tell me… Tendou, did you find yourself a g-”

“Nah,” Tendou interrupted Goshiki mid-sentence. The redhead looked up, flaunting his phone screen at the others, catching his captain’s eyesight, and giving his signature smuggish smirk. “It’s just (f/n)-chan.”

No matter if Tendou did it intentionally or not, the redhead’s expression and the way he called your name, so nonchalantly—on a first name basis, no less—made Ushijima turn away. His brows furrowed. 

Tendou snickered inwardly. Oddly, their captain was always more reactive when it came to you. 

Goshiki scoffed, and then turned from his locker to Tendou. “Why would _she_ talk to _you_? Are you harassing her? Stop it. (nickname)-chan wouldn’t like-”

Ushijima shut his locker a bit harsher than needed to.

Silence returned to the Shiratorizawa locker room.

Tendou made sure to turn away before he actually burst out laughing.

  
  


* * *

The next day was one of Ushijima’s rare Fridays off. He sat in the library, hopeful to get a bit of work done. Empty afternoons are rare as a school athlete, usually practice would go into late evenings—he knew he had to appreciate today as much as he could. Ushijima heaved a relaxed sigh, enjoying the sounds of the library: the page-flipping, pencil-scribbling, note-fumbling sounds of the school library.

Suddenly, there was a light tap on his shoulder. Ushijima turned to look, only to see you waving sheepishly at him. His features softened and his gaze fell to the seat beside him, nodding towards it—a gesture for you to feel free to take it. 

And you did.

Peeking from the corner of your eyes, you watch as the olive head focuses his attention on the book in front of him, his breathing in sync with his pencil tapping softly on the table. 

Unknowingly, you follow his pace with your own pen. A calm afternoon like this, with the companionship of the olive head—even the thought of it sends your heart thumping a little faster. You eyed Ushijima again, wanting to remember the afternoon scene as vividly as possible. 

But Ushijima suddenly looks up, catching your gaze on him; and your face heats up in embarrassment. You were caught in the act, peeking and staring at the captain. But before you could turn away, Ushijima grabs lightly onto the tip of your pen. His slightly awkward way of getting your attention is successful, because you turn back to him, even with your face blushing red. 

“How’s Goshiki in class?”

Ushijima was seldom the one to start conversations, but this time, the poking feeling at his heart pushed him towards you. He was just curious… just curious.

You stared at him wide-eyed, in slight surprise. “Uh… Tsu-kun is a nice classmate. He’s always on top of everything and very kind..?” Your sentence ended in a slight questioning tone, unsure if your answer was relevant to Ushijima’s peculiar and out-of-the-blue question. 

Ushijima’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at the nickname for Goshiki. _Tsu-kun_? Were the both of you _that_ close?

“What were you talking with Tendou about yesterday?” The olive head switches to the next topic rather quickly, catching you off guard again.

“S-Satori-san? He was just telling me about the upcoming Spring High qualifiers for Miyagi.”

This time, he drops his pencil. _Even Tendou?_

And _no_ , all that was _not_ an experiment to check if Tendou was lying about being texting buddies with you. He inwardly reminded himself. _No, I am not affected by this information. Yes, I am just curious. I am just-_

“Howcomeyoucallthembynicknamesnow?”

It took you three slow blinks before coming to your senses. That was probably the only time you’ve heard Ushijima speak fast, and you were really caught off-guard. You didn’t really catch what he was saying. _Something about them and snow…_

Watching your blank expression, Ushijima turns back to the book in front of him, ears slightly heated. Whatever happened five seconds ago was not him, it was his brain cells on short-circuit. Although he really wanted to know, maybe it was too rash for him to suddenly ask you about your private matters. What relationships you had were none of his business.

 _Nevermind,_ he thinks inwardly before speaking. “Neverm-”

He is interrupted by you grabbing onto the sleeve of his uniform, slightly tugging, while looking at him. A weird switch goes off in Ushijima.

He thinks of fireworks on a summer night; he thinks of taiko drums during the school festival; he thinks of volleyballs thumping onto the ground—reverberating, his heart is reverberating in his ears. 

His whole face feel hotter all of a sudden, but he holds your gaze; and you still hold onto his sleeve, like a child wanting a treat.

“Nicknames?”

It took you awhile, but you finally thought about it long enough for you to realize Ushijima was talking about nicknames. Ushijima looks away again, wanting to avoid the topic. He shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place. Now he looks like he’s being petty and jeal-

Suddenly, your soft chuckle and makes him flush even redder. At this point, his whole face might as well have turned red. No, he’s not jealous. He’s just curious.

Just.

Curious. 

The loss of his attention makes you tug on his sleeve. Today’s Ushijima was a little different, a little more of his true self. It made you a little happy to be able to see a new side of him.

Apparently, Ushijima was set on returning his focus to his book as he did not respond. It was a little amusing, because Ushijima seemed as if he was secretly sulking.

A lightbulb lit up in your head.

You scooted your chair a little closer to Ushijima’s side and put your plan into action. 

Holding a hand up to Ushijima’s ear, you stood and crouched to reach his level. Bracing yourself, you scooted a little closer again. 

“I’m sorry, _Toshi-kun_. Don’t be mad.”

Ushijima’s eyes widened slightly. He held a hand up to cover the lower half of his face, as if to hide his reaction to your sudden attack. He hears his heartbeat in his ears again, and—weirdly—he feels like he’s ready to run 30 laps around campus. He’s ready to do anything at this point. 

He looks up to meet your soft gaze. 

You smiled softly, thinking again of how you would treasure this afternoon, even in the far future. 

A Friday afternoon. 

The school library.

Pencil taps.

Warm hands.

Hearts connecting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in this episode: our favorite captain being petty, hehehe. honestly,,, someone help this awkward boi,,,

**Author's Note:**

> Haikyuu!! is a work by Haruichi Furudate. None of the characters are of my own.


End file.
